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Erasmus, Desiderius, 1469-1536

"The Pilgrimage of Pure Devotion"

In a
stone callyd Ceraunia we see ye fashon of lightnynge,
in the stone Pyropo wyldfyre, Chelazia dothe expresse
bothe the coldnes and the fourme of hayle, and thoghe
thou cast in to the hote fyre, an Emrode, wyll
expresse the clere water of the seye. Carcinas dothe
counterfayte ye shape of a crabfishe. Echites of the
serpente vyper. But to what purpose shuld I entreat, or
inuestygate the nature of suche thynges whiche be
innumerable, wha there is no parte of nature nor in the
elementes, nother in any lyuynge creature, other in
planetes, or herbes ye nature euyn as it were all of
pleasure hathe not expressyd in precyous stones? Doo
yow maruayle tha that in thys stone at owre ladies
fote, || D.|| is the fourme and fashon of a tode. _Me._
I maruayle that nature shuld haue so moche lesure, so
to counterfayt the nature of althynges. _Ogy._ It was
but to exercyse, or occupye the curyosytye of mannes
wytte, and so at the lest wyse to kepe vs frome
ydlenes, and yet as thoghe we had nothynge to passe ye
tyme with all, we be in a maner made apon foles, apon
dyesse, and crafty iogeleres. _Me._ You saye very
truthe. _Ogy._ There be many men of no smale grauytye,
that wyll say thys kynd of stones, if that you put it
in vynagre, it wyll swyme, thoge you wold thruste it
downe with violence. _Me._ Wherfore do thay sette a
tode byfore our lady? _Ogy.


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